Callide Valley railway line
Encyclopedia
The Callide Valley railway line ran from Rannes
to Lawgi in Queensland
, Australia
. The Callide Valley lies to the south-west of Rockhampton
in Central Queensland
. There were grand plans to link Monto
by railway with the south, east and north. Links with Maryborough
to the south and Gladstone
to the east materialised but the northern link terminated at Lawgi some 70 kilometres away. Rannes was already linked by rail to Rockhampton via Wowan
and Mount Morgan
and a branch line from Rannes
to Lawgi provided access to the rich Callide Valley and justified its construction.
, Jambin
and Argoon. A mixed train
ran twice a week from Baralaba
, west of Rannes on the Dawson Valley branch, to Callide and connected at Rannes with a service northeast to Rockhampton. Opened on 24 August 1925, a 24 kilometre extension took the line south from Callide via Biloela
to Thangool
which at the time was the main township between Rannes and Monto.
as an employment measure. The third and final stage took the line a further 13 kilometres via Mt Scoria
to Lawgi. Proposed construction to Monto did not eventuate and isolated Lawgi became the terminus on 19 September 1932. The Lawgi station mistress was withdrawn in 1952 and the section to Thangool was closed on 1 July 1955. The Thangool to Biloela section closed on 31 January 1988 and Biloela became the railhead. The line between Biloela and Lawgi was taken up. It remains in place between Rannes and Biloela.
Rannes, Queensland
Rannes is a small town in central Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Banana Shire Local Government Area, between Wowan and Banana on the Leichhardt Highway and the Don River. Although small, Rannes used to be a major railway town which once had 27 pubs.Rannes is primarily a farming...
to Lawgi in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Callide Valley lies to the south-west of Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
in Central Queensland
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...
. There were grand plans to link Monto
Monto, Queensland
Monto is a town in Queensland, Australia, located on the Burnett Highway north-west of Brisbane and south of Rockhampton. The town was the administrative centre of Monto Shire. At the 2006 census, Monto had a population of 1,159.-History:...
by railway with the south, east and north. Links with Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
to the south and Gladstone
Gladstone, Queensland
- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...
to the east materialised but the northern link terminated at Lawgi some 70 kilometres away. Rannes was already linked by rail to Rockhampton via Wowan
Wowan, Queensland
Wowan is a small rural township in Central Queensland, Australia. It is named from the Aboriginal word for Australian brush-turkey. At the 2006 census, Wowan and the surrounding area had a population of 338....
and Mount Morgan
Mount Morgan, Queensland
Mount Morgan is a town located in central Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Dee River, 38 kilometres south of the city of Rockhampton, and is 680 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The Burnett Highway passes through the town...
and a branch line from Rannes
Rannes, Queensland
Rannes is a small town in central Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Banana Shire Local Government Area, between Wowan and Banana on the Leichhardt Highway and the Don River. Although small, Rannes used to be a major railway town which once had 27 pubs.Rannes is primarily a farming...
to Lawgi provided access to the rich Callide Valley and justified its construction.
Opening
The first stage stretched from Rannes south-east to Callide (originally called Callidi) and opened on 3 May 1924. Stops appeared en route at Jooro, GoovigenGoovigen, Queensland
Goovigen is a town in central Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Banana Shire Local Government Area, north west of the state capital, Brisbane...
, Jambin
Jambin, Queensland
Jambin is a town in the Banana Shire, Central Queensland, Australia.The novel "Dust" by Christine Bongers is set around the town of Jambin. In the novel the main character's family, the Vanderbomms, attend church at Jambin....
and Argoon. A mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
ran twice a week from Baralaba
Baralaba, Queensland
Baralaba is a town in central Queensland, Australia, located 143 km by road from Rockhampton and 694 km from Brisbane. The town is located 33 km west of the Leichhardt Highway. At the 2006 census, Baralaba had a population of 290....
, west of Rannes on the Dawson Valley branch, to Callide and connected at Rannes with a service northeast to Rockhampton. Opened on 24 August 1925, a 24 kilometre extension took the line south from Callide via Biloela
Biloela, Queensland
Biloela is a rural town in Central Queensland, Australia. It is situated inland from the port city of Gladstone at the junction of the Burnett and Dawson highways...
to Thangool
Thangool, Queensland
Thangool is a town in central Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Banana Shire Local Government Area, north west of the state capital, Brisbane and south of the Shire administrative centre, Biloela. The name Thangool means Possum. At the 2006 census, Thangool had a population of...
which at the time was the main township between Rannes and Monto.
Train services
A mixed service took 7 ½ hours for the journey from Thangool to Mount Morgan and a later passenger service took 6 hours from Thangool to Rockhampton. The terminus at Thangool was intended to be temporary and trucking yards were not constructed. However, facilities were provided at Biloela siding and it quickly became the major centre of the district.Later stages
Construction beyond Thangool was halted in August 1926 and resumed during the depressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as an employment measure. The third and final stage took the line a further 13 kilometres via Mt Scoria
Mount Scoria Conservation Park
Mount Scoria Conservation Park is a park near Thangool, Queensland in Central Queensland, Australia, about south-east of Biloela. It is within the traditional lands of the Gangulu aboriginal people. It features Mount Scoria, a mountain whose peak is about above the surrounding plains...
to Lawgi. Proposed construction to Monto did not eventuate and isolated Lawgi became the terminus on 19 September 1932. The Lawgi station mistress was withdrawn in 1952 and the section to Thangool was closed on 1 July 1955. The Thangool to Biloela section closed on 31 January 1988 and Biloela became the railhead. The line between Biloela and Lawgi was taken up. It remains in place between Rannes and Biloela.
Timeline
- Rannes-Callide opened 3 May 1924
- Callide-Biloela-Thangool opened 24 August 1925
- Thangool-Lawgi opened 19 September 1932
- Lawgi-Thangool closed 1 July 1955
- Thangool-Biloela closed 31 January 1988
- Biloela-Callide-Rannes, current status uncertain
Moura Short Line
In 1968 the Moura Short Line was opened to transport coal from the Callide Valley to Gladstone port. The line crosses the Callide branch line between Jambin and Callide at Earlsfield Junction and thus links Biloela with Gladstone in lieu of its previous link to Rockhampton.See also
- Gladstone to Monto railway lineGladstone to Monto railway lineGladstone to Monto Branch Railway. The Boyne Valley west of Gladstone in Queensland, Australia was predominantly a dairying region and a railway had little justification. However a branch was justified in 1906 on the basis of large traffic in timber, fuel, limestone and flexing ores...
- Mungar Junction to Monto Branch RailwayMungar Junction to Monto Branch RailwayThe Mungar Junction to Monto Branch Railway is in Queensland, Australia. Having lost out to Bundaberg for a rail link to Mount Perry, Maryborough turned the tables by securing a link to the Central and Upper Burnett districts of Queensland, where minerals had been found...
- Rail transport in QueenslandRail transport in QueenslandRail transport in Queensland began in 1865. Today it is one of the largest narrow gauge railway network in the world.-Public float:On 2 June 2009 the Queensland Government announced the 'Renewing Queensland Plan', with Queensland Rail's commercial activities to be separated from the Government's...